NFL Insider on Why Embattled Giants GM Joe Schoen May Keep His Job

One NFL insider believes Giants GM Joe Schoen might be on more solid ground than most think.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

As the pleas from the New York Giants fan base for ownership to clean house and dump general manager Joe Schoen continue to intensify each week, one NFL insider has peeled back the curtain a bit on the situation regarding Schoen’s status.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that “the sense is nothing has yet changed” in terms of Schoen’s status with regards to the statement the team put out last month in which it announced the dismissal of head coach Brian Daboll, while also declaring that Schoen would remain on to help lead the franchise’s search for its next head coach.  

But, Jones added, that’s not set in stone, that Schoen could very well be the next man voted off the Giants' island by the end of the season if a hotshot head coaching candidate insists that he bring in his own general manager to replace Schoen, whom Jones also reported is highly regarded across the league for being great to work with. 

Schoen’s not exempt from having had a role in the Giants’ demise

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Schoen, to his credit, admitted to making mistakes during his tenure when he spoke with the media on Tuesday.

“Have I screwed up, and have I made mistakes? Absolutely. Absolutely. But I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, and we're going to continue to get better, and we're going to look at everything,” he said.  

Schoen’s biggest mistake and one from which he’s still trying to recover is that he veered off course in the team’s rebuild thanks to the Giants’ success in 2022, when they finished 9-7-1 and earned a postseason berth. 

Rather than continue to keep adding to the young core, he saw a team that, in his opinion, was further along than it actually was.

And when the house of cards came crashing down around him, so too did the record, Schoen and his staff left in scramble mode to clean up a significant mess. 

But Schoen also argued that he has done a few things right.

“Everybody's going to make mistakes, and we're going to get some things right. As long as you're learning from those mistakes and you reflect on the process in place, and where you went wrong, and you can continue to get better, that's what's most important,” he argued.

Why Schoen might be on more solid ground than people think

New York Giants owner John Mara, left, and general manager Joe Schoen | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Going back to the Giants’ statement, which announced the dismissal of Daboll, John Mara was quoted as saying, “We feel like Joe has assembled a good young nucleus of talent, and we look forward to its development. 

“Unfortunately, the results over the past three years have not been what any of us want. We take full responsibility for those results and look forward to the kind of success our fans expect.”

That statement right there would suggest that ownership believes that coaching, or lack thereof, is the chief culprit in the team’s failure to find and sustain success, and that a stronger coaching staff that can advance the progress of some of the players who have regressed over the years might make the difference.

But the question ownership needs to ask itself is: how much longer will it be patient if it sticks with Schoen?

Jones seems to think that it won’t be an issue, at least not immediately, though again, nothing is set in stone. 

As for Schoen, he insisted that he’s learned from his mistakes.  

“I'm better today than I was four years ago when I got this job,” he said. “A year from now, God willing, I'm standing here, I'm going to be better than I am today, and that's all I can do.”

What happens next with the NY Giants? Find out! Follow and like us on Facebook. Visit our YouTube channel for the latest videos. Want to send a question in for our mailbag? You can do so here.